Let’s cut to the chase: If you were already considering a Bank of America credit card, stop and apply through Rakuten first. Why? Because they’re handing out an extra $150 or $75 just for using their portal — and that’s on top of the card’s standard welcome bonus. No, this isn’t a typo. Portals rarely get to play in the credit card sandbox, but here we are.
Travel Rewards: The Better Deal (If You Travel)
The Travel Rewards Card (Rakuten) already offers 25,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in 90 days. Those points are worth roughly $250 if you transfer them to airline partners like United or American (or $200 if you redeem them for cash). Add Rakuten’s $150 cash-back bonus, and you’re looking at a total haul of around $400 in value — for a card with no annual fee. Not bad.
Customized Cash: Simpler, But Less Lucrative
The Customized Cash Card (Rakuten) gives you a $200 cash bonus after the same $1,000 spend, plus Rakuten’s $75. Total: $275. It’s straightforward cash, which is great if you don’t care about points. But if you can leverage the Travel Rewards points for premium travel, that $400 value blows the doors off this one.
Should you care? If you’re in the market for a new card and can comfortably hit the spending minimum, absolutely. But don’t go applying willy-nilly just for the bonus. These cards should fit your actual financial needs — the extra cash is just icing.
One caveat: Rakuten’s portal bonuses for credit cards are about as common as a United wide-body flight with free meals. This could vanish at any moment, so if you’re interested, act before it’s gone.
New to Rakuten? You can grab a $50 referral bonus just for signing up — because why not stack the deals while you’re at it.